Kochi: Police booked 29 drivers of school buses and other student transport vehicles for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol on Monday.The action came during a special drive conducted across Ernakulam, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Idukki districts under Ernakulam range, officials said.The drive was carried out as part of a statewide inspection to ensure the safety of students under the directions of Ernakulam range DIG Yathish Chandra.In Ernakulam rural, police inspected 1,162 drivers across 373 schools and seven drivers were caught operating student transport vehicles under the influence of alcohol.In total, police inspected 3,333 drivers across 1,231 educational institutions. Legal proceedings were initiated against them under Motor Vehicles Act.As many as nine were found drunk driving in Alappuzha out of 634 drivers inspected across 244 schools. In Idukki, a check on 849 drivers from 303 schools revealed seven drunk drivers, while Kottayam reported six violations after authorities inspected 688 drivers from 311 schools.These inspections were part of Operation Toofan.Following the operation, the relevant school authorities were given directions to immediately terminate the employment of drivers who were found intoxicated.DIG said law violations endangering the lives and safety of students will not be tolerated under any circumstances, warning that these surprise inspections will continue in the coming days.Furthermore, police urged schools and vehicle owners to rigorously verify the qualifications, physical fitness and legal documents of their drivers, emphasising that there must be absolutely no compromise when it comes to student safety.
